With his dying breath, Bobby Lowell begs Ellison Russell, “Tell her I love her.”Unable to refuse, Ellison struggles to find the girl the murdered boy loved. Too bad an epically bad blind date, a vindictive graffiti artist, and multiple trips to the emergency room keep getting in the way.Worse, a killer has Ellison in his sights, her newly rebellious daughter is missing, and there’s yet another … there’s yet another body in her hostas. Mother won’t be pleased.
Now Ellison must track down not one but two runaway teenagers, keep her promise to Bobby, and elude the killer—all before her next charity gala committee meeting.
“Set in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1974, this cozy mystery effectively recreates the era through the details of down-to-earth Ellison’s everyday life.” – Booklist
“Mulhern’s lively, witty sequel to The Deep End finds Kansas City, Mo., socialite Ellison Russell reluctantly attending a high school football game…There she stumbles on a dying teenage boy covered in blood, who asks that she tell his girlfriend that he loves her. Ellison determines to learn the girlfriend’s identity and deliver the message, plus find the boy’s killer…If that’s not enough for one day, an unknown man turns up shot to death in her garden. Cozy fans will eagerly await Ellison’s further adventures.” – Publishers Weekly
“In this excellent follow-up to her debut The Deep End, author Mulhern continues to depict the trappings of a privileged community… Readers who enjoy the novels of Susan Isaacs will love this series that blends a strong mystery with the demands of living in an exclusive society. Watching Ellison develop the strength of character to break through both her own and her society’s expectations is a sheer delight.” – Kings River Life Magazine
“As close to a perfect summer read as mystery fans are likely to find…a well-written, entertaining mystery filled with humor and complicated family relationships…I loved every minute of it.” – Goodreads Reviewer
“Written sincerely, with unforgettable one-liners including: “Kizzi lived behind a curtain sewn from dry martinis.” There are many more to list, but I do not want to spoil the pleasure of unexpectedly encountering such gems tucked throughout the book. Thoroughly enjoyable.” – Librarian, Jefferson-Madison Regional Library System
Related subjects include: cozy mysteries, women sleuths, murder mystery series, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit), amateur sleuth books, book club recommendations, humorous murder mysteries, historical mysteries.
Books in the Country Club Murders Humorous Mystery Series:
- THE DEEP END (#1)
- GUARANTEED TO BLEED (#2)
Part of the Henery Press Mystery Series Collection, if you like one, you’ll probably like them all…
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Ellison Russel is spending this particular Friday night in September 1974 at a high school football game. Not because she loves the sport, but because her daughter, Grace, is a cheerleader. Unfortunately, early in the second half, she stumbles on Bobby Lowell who begs Ellison “Tell her I love her” before he dies. Bobby and Grace grew up together, so the murder hits close to home. Ellison isn’t trying to solve things, but she can’t help but figure it out as she tries to figure out who the mysterious woman is. Will she pass on Bobby’s message? Will she find the killer?
I’m glad I was finally able to return to Ellison’s world. The story is strong. It doesn’t unfold in typical cozy mystery fashion, but that didn’t bother me. I got more and more involved the further into the book I got. Ellison is a great main character, and I loved watching the growth in the character here. The rest of the cast is also great, although I wish her Mother weren’t so focused on everything being perfect. I find it funny at times, but it can be annoying. The book walks a fine line between humor and more serious themes, and the result is rich. The book does venture into some PG-13 topics, but know that going into the book and you’ll be fine since it never gets too graphic. I do recommend reading book one before you read this one since it includes fallout from the events of that story. Hopefully, it won’t be so long before I visit Ellison again.
Guaranteed to Bleed by the wonderfully talented Julie Mulhern is another captivating Country Club Murder Book. Wonderful characters, a gripping plot, and good, solid writing have kept me from sleep and laundry and social contacts once more. I highly recommend this and all of Mulhern’s work.
I love this series. Good enough that I have reread all of her books several times and get something new out of them every time. This book picks up a few months after the last one ended telling the story of how Ellison stumbles upon a dying boy cares enough about doing the right thing to want to fulfill his last wish. The characters are well written and feel real. That Mulhern can create a world set in the 70’s that you can really get a feel for and characters that are quirky but not so overly so that it’s annoying is a tribute to her writing skill. A true cut above most of today’s mysteries.
I can’t recommend her books enough.
Ellison finds a dying boy, Bobby, under the bleachers at a football game. Bobby’s dying request is for her to “tell her I love her.” Ellison knew she had to find the girl. Ellison has to keep a young girl’s secret, keep her rich mother happy, decide between two guys, as well as find who killed Bobby. This is a great mystery with twists all throughout it and the characters are fantastic.
I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. It was a fun read but there are a lot serious issues in this book. Ellison , the amateur sleuth, stumbles across a body of a teenage boy and sets out to fulfill his dying wish. Along the way she learns her neighbors secrets and solves the murder. The author does a good job with 70s background with name dropping lots of forgotten 70s products. The mystery was good and the solution made sense. There were enough red herrings to make the mystery interesting. I am looking forword to reading more by this author. Enjoy this throwback to the 70s.
Mulhern is an incredible written. The plot that drives this mystery is a deep and ugly reality, yet she handles it with great sensitivity. The amazing aspect of this book is her use of humor that lightens many of these pages while never shying away from the ugliness.
Once again Ellison Russell is thrust into a murder investigation. When she finds Bobby Lowell, she makes it her goal to fulfill his dying wish – “tell her I love her”. Who is the mysterious “her”? Why did someone kill the teenager under the bleachers at the football game? Who knew there was such a sordid side to the Kansas City country club set? Another fast-paced mystery by author Julie Mulhern, I loved Guaranteed to Bleed, and am eagerly advancing to the next in the series. A+
I love this series. The characters come alive. The story lines are realistic. I highly recommend this series!!!!!
#2 in the series but able to be read as a stand alone
This is the second book for this author. I enjoyed it so much I backed up an I have started reading the first book, I want to go on from there with this author. Strong characters, they are funny, surprising. I totally recommend this book.